


Limits

by StarryEyedEm



Category: Ratchet & Clank
Genre: F/M, Gen, Inspired by Music, Rona time is stressin me out so have some angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-29
Updated: 2020-07-29
Packaged: 2021-03-06 01:22:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,199
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25585120
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StarryEyedEm/pseuds/StarryEyedEm
Summary: Sometimes, desperation can lead us to push ourselves past our limits. A talchet fic originally inspired by "A Little Fall of Rain", from the Les Mis soundtrack. Rated M, just to be safe.
Relationships: Talwyn Apogee/Ratchet
Kudos: 5





	Limits

Bleary eyes stare into the obsidian eye's screen, widening at the reveal of an all too familiar villain. There's a slight flash of anger, but it's quickly replaced by pure determination. "Hang on pal, I'm comin'."

"Nefarious is gonna be sorry he…" Ratchet marches toward Aphelion with purpose, or at least, that was the plan. After a few steps away from the screen, the lombax's pace slows down to a complete stop. The world spins out of control, and colors blend together. "Gonna be…"

The markazian explorer that accompanied him follows, and she waves a hand over his face. "Ratchet? Are you okay?" A crisp snap in front of his eyes gives no response. "Hey—hey look at me. You in there?"

The once vibrant greens seem almost glossy now, and they seem to look through her entirely. "Ratchet, say something."

In an instant, his body comes tumbling down. " _Ratchet!"_ The woman scrambles to catch him, struggling with his completely limp weight. Once she recovers her balance, Talwyn gently lies Ratchet on the ground. Checking his pulse, and making sure he's still breathing, yields good results. She sighs. "Come on, you dummy."

Lifting her lombax companion bridal style, amidst ignored teasing from the natives, Talwyn puts Ratchet in her ship and heads for home.

…

It's about 3 AM Galactic Standard Time, at least according to the Apogee Space Station's internal clock. One of those nights that Talwyn's studies keep her up into the earliest hours of the morning; nights that have become far too frequent as of late.

The young explorer looks over to the lombax in the spare bedroom, sleeping like a rock like he hasn't done so in weeks. Sadly, that's no exaggeration on her part. The hot-headed hero she met before seems almost a completely different person.

Since Clank was taken, Ratchet has lived off of bread, water, and Nanotech, and that's only if Talwyn managed to stop him to feed himself. He's lost weight for it, and it's a miracle that he still has the muscle mass to carry his arsenal of weapons.

With a sigh, the markazian steps into the kitchen for a glass of water. That's when her ears pick up a subtle whisper in the early morning quiet of the space station. " _No…_ "

Checking in on her guest, her heart aches. His lithe body trembles in fear, eyes tightly shut as if he denies what his mind is showing him. " _Tal_ …"

Taking her place next to the sleeping lombax, the woman gently shakes him. "Hey, wake up. Ratchet, it's me. I'm right here."

…

Thunder fills the blackened skies, and the ship deck beneath Ratchet is slick with rain and moss. Dozens of space pirates rush forward with cutlasses and pistols in hand. The lombax twirls his wrench, pulling back for a wide swing. The tool connects, taking down the closest few pirates.

A few well placed combustor shots finish off the others. A group tries to flank him from the left, and is met with nano-swarms that tear their metal apart.

Catching his breath, Ratchet surveys the battlefield. Reinforcements are coming in hot, and the predator launcher is equipped to prepare.

Then his heart drops at Talwyn's scream cutting through the air.

He rushes towards the noise, dropping his weapon in his haste. The space pirates that surround him are ignored as he darts past them.

His eyes meet a cell. A wall of glowing green energy, clear enough to see the captive inside. "Talwyn!" Ratchet scrambles over to her, scanning the room for some sort of lock to break. "Don't worry, I'll get you outta here."

" _Ra..tchet.._ " Her body is leaned against the wall, and her hand is over her abdomen. The crimson headband he's never seen her without is nowhere to be found. "Throw..pirate skull.."

The order is heeded, and a glowing skull from outside is slammed into the wall. The energy dissipates as the projectile explodes, and Ratchet rushes to her side. He brushes the hair from out of her face.

She's so bruised, dirty, and broken. It's so unlike her, and that's what scares him.

"There were...too many of them. I tried to fight them off, but…" A thin, trembling hand moves from the wound. Her stained headband is folded over the area in a feeble attempt to stop the bleeding. The markazian lets out a hiss of pain.

Ratchet presses into the gash with his own weight, doing his best to stay calm. "Save your strength, Tal. I'll get some Nanotech, just hang on! Don't you dare go anywhere!"

Talwyn looks at him with a tired smile. Blue eyes that once held such ferocity and determination, now begin to lose their luster. Her hand drops to the floor and she moves no more.

Ratchet's eyes grow wide. " _No…_ Tal, _please._ " The world spins as he squeezes her hand, the warmth of it leaving far too quickly.

Captain Slag chuckles at the scene before him. "Some hero you are, laddie. Couldn't even save yer wee lass!"

Darkwater joins in beside him with a nod of agreement. "Aye, and that little robot too. Poor sod's been carried off to the locker, he has."

The two pirates' voices melt together. "You failed them."

"You let me die," Talwyn's body says.

Clank steps out from behind a nearby crate, his optics narrowed in anger. "You pushed me away."

Metallic footsteps come closer and closer. In the corner of his eye, Ratchet watches Darkwater's shadow pull out his own sword.

It still smells like Talwyn's blood.

"I'll grant ye a mercy, lombax. Let's hope yer little friends do the same." Darkwater pulls the sword in front of his face. In its reflection, he sees everyone he's ever cared for. They all look at him with contempt.

Ratchet accepts his fate, and the world goes black.

…

There's suddenly a gentle pressure on his arm. The ceiling slowly comes into focus, and the scent of dusty old papers and Talwyn's presence awakens the exhausted hero.

Talwyn, who is alive and well, and worried. "Ratchet, are you okay?"

The memory is still so fresh. In the dim lighting, the lombax can almost see the bruises that were on her face, the blood that covered her clothing. He can almost still smell the saltwater of the ocean mixing with blood. Her blood, on his hands because he was _too late_.

"I'm fine, Tal. It was just a dream anyway."

"No it wasn't," she insists. "People don't shift in their sleep and mumble like that if it was 'just a dream'."

He quickly deflects from the subject. Right now, _that_ image is the last thing he wants on his mind. "When did I end up here? Last thing I remember we were on Merdegraw. I saw the video thing and—" Ratchet's eyes widen as he remembers his original task. His blankets are thrown to the side. "Clank! Nefarious has Clank, I've gotta-"

" _No!_ " Talwyn's voice cracks with the sudden force of the plea. The bedridden hero stops in his tracks. Clearing her throat, the markazian regains her composure. "Ratchet. Do you know how long you were out for?"

"Uh…" Scratching his ear, the lombax gives his best estimate. "Ten hours?"

"Try _three days_."

"W-what?"

Her weight settles on the bed next to him, and she takes his hands gently. "Ratchet. You can't keep doing this. It's going to kill you."

The lombax retracts his hands, brushing off her words with a shake of his head. "I'll be fine, I just needed to sleep this off. I don't have any more time to waste."

"You've been stretching yourself thin, Ratchet," Talwyn reminds him. "For over a year."

"I'm fine, Tal. Really. Nothing's stopped me yet, and I can't afford to stop now."

The markazian drops her bedside manner, standing to scold him with the same passionate fire Ratchet has come to expect of her. "Are you _serious?!_ You just fought an army of undead space pirates, you've been scrolling through IRIS for months to even find Merdegraw in the first place!"

"Until I know Clank is safe, it's not over. I can't stop now, not when I'm so close. Please, I _need_ you to back me up here."

"I know he means a lot to you; I want to find him too. But you can't save Clank if you don't make it there in the first place!"

"It's _my fault_ he's gone in the first place! I didn't listen to him until it was too late to fix things," he retorts. "So if I end up biting the bullet to bring him home, fine—"

A crisp slap knocks Ratchet's face to the side. Both parties freeze, eyes growing wide with the realization of what just happened. "I...I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that. But please, don't you _ever_ say something like that again."

The lombax slowly raises his palm to his cheek, and his fingers lightly graze where he was struck. "I'm...I'm sorry." Talwyn watches as his body shakes with despair, and tears begin to well up in his eyes. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Tal."

Holding him close, Talwyn allows him to let out every bit of emotion he's held in all this time. "It'll be okay, Ratchet."

For as long as she's known him, she's never seen him so vulnerable. The same man who has faced countless battles, who's taken down entire empires, is now clinging to her like a lost child searching for comfort.

It breaks her heart to bear witness to it. However, there's something to be said for the amount of trust it takes for someone like him to reveal that broken side of himself. Her ears catch a muffled phrase. " _What am I gonna do?_ "

Pulling him away from the hug, Talwyn locks eyes with him. "Take things one step at a time. For now, try to get some decent sleep. I have some tea that might calm you down. Do you want some?"

He takes a deep breath, and nods. "Thank you. For snapping me out of that. And for the tea."

Time passes, and a more pleasant conversation is had. The tea is eventually finished off, and Talwyn picks up the used cup. A short yawn from the lombax is taken as her cue to leave. "Well, I should let you get some sleep."

Before she can even get off of the bed, Ratchet reaches for her hand and gives it a gentle squeeze. "Tal, wait." An embarrassed flush coats his face, and he looks away. "I know it's...dumb to ask, and I don't want to imply something else, but...I really don't want to be alone."

Cronk and Zephyr pass the bedroom later on, then try to chase the furry 'scoundrel' out of the space station with a spray bottle of water.

…

It takes every bolt Ratchet had left, but he at least has supplies and a brand new set of holoflux armor to show for it. Making the final adjustments, he turns to the space station's exit. "I've gotta go."

Talwyn moves to follow him. "Then take me with you. I can-"

"No, Cronk and Zephyr need you. I have to go alone."

"We'll all go together. I'll lock up the space station."

"Cronk and Zephyr are fragile," he argues. "What if they need repairs on the road? I can't put them in danger for this. Anyway, your father's research would be put in danger if left unguarded. That stuff's too important to you to risk like that."

"Cronk and Zephyr will be fine here, then. I'm not letting you go alone. We do this together, just like Merdegraw. We got that far as a team, didn't we?"

As the markazian steps forward, the lombax backs away. "Tal, please, I-I can't."

"I want to help, Ratchet. What are you so afraid of?"

"I can't lose anyone else!"

Baggy green eyes widen as the realization hits. It's too late to backtrack now; there's no point to it. "I already lost Clank; I can't lose you too. Please, stay here. With Cronk and Zephyr. If something happened to you…"

Suddenly, the pieces fall into place. His fearful mumbling during that nightmare. His request to sleep by her side. The truth makes her heart drop.

The woman locks eyes with her lombax companion. "Ratchet, listen to me. I'll be okay. If it really means that much that I'm out of danger, I'll trust you. I know finding Clank is important to you, but if you collapse like you did on Merdegraw…"

Talwyn shudders at the thought. Mercenaries run rampant in that part of the galaxy, and many would likely be paid handsomely for a prize such as him. "I can't send you alone. I'll see if anyone in the Defense Force is available."

Slowly, the lombax nods his head in quiet acceptance. "Okay. Thanks, Tal."

The markazian picks up a nearby tablet, scrolling through the active members of the PDF and local heroes. A sigh of defeat escapes her at the only active name. "You might want to pack earplugs, Ratchet. Or some music to tune him out."

They both share a thin, weary smile.

**Author's Note:**

> "You're here, that's all I need to know. And you will keep me safe, and you will keep me close. And rain will make the flowers grow."
> 
> \- "A Little Fall of Rain", from the Les Mis OST


End file.
